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105 CFML Open Source Learning with John Farrar

By Michaela Light Leave a Comment

John Farrar talks about “CFML Open Source Learning” in this episode of the CF Alive Podcast, with host Michaela Light

Show notes

OLS (Open Learning Server), why another learning solution?

Why coding in ColdFusion?

CFML

    • Lucee and ACF
    • Containers let you host CF apps on any cloud ISP (Google, AWS, Azure, Digital Ocean etc)
    • Micro-services architecture 
      • Server encapsulation
      • Vs Monolithic server architecture  

ColdBox

    • Version 6
    • cbPromises
    • cbStreams
    • cbElasticSearch
  • Vue.js
    • SPA = Single Page App
    • PWA = Progressive Web App
  • Quick = OO database built on top of your RDBMS
    • QB = Query Builder

Why OLS

  • Who will use
    • Education
    • Corporate learning
  • Why
    • Can port and deploy anywhere
    • Adaptive instruction – Individual student customized learning paths
    • Easier course creation because of no need to decide what parts to focus on the most – system gives feedback 
      • Gamification
    • RFR – Repetition for retention. Spaced testing. 
    • Agile learning + Agile instruction

How can listeners help?

CF Open Source in corporate land

  • jQuery, Angular, React, Vue, Node, and the list goes on. Some corporate types say they don’t like using open source but I have heard of few that do. It’s like saying you would not use VSCode because it is open source but you would use Visual Studio. Perhaps they won’t use Chrome, but they would use Edge? If that makes sense to them, they should do what makes sense. It just doesn’t make sense to me.
  • Now, Ortus produces solutions like ColdBox, and many other solutions. Their work is open source but they are a commercial company. In fact most open source solutions come from commercially motivated creators. Crowd sourced efforts are a challenge to build momentum but as these solutions break through we find commercial creations can often be a great source of social goodness. It’s amazing how many commercial solutions are free. Over half the internet runs on free open source technologies.
  • A solution to a problem by definition includes trade-offs – as decisions were made on what to prioritize in this particular solution. 

Why are you proud to use CF?

  • Investing in server languages is about impact. ColdFusion has been a faithful return on investment technology. I would not say that I am proud of my tools, but rather that the tools have helped me create solutions that serve the end users well.

WWIT to make CF more alive this year?

  • CF is alive and well, but it has to keep earning it’s place in the market. How can CFML influence it’s future today? Perhaps by being the platform where disruptive technology is built. Results people notice.

What did you enjoy at Into The Box this year?

  • I have wanted to attend a multi-track virtual conference for years. Who knew this is how it would happen? They used Sococo and it was a learning experience. It was the best virtual conference I have attended by a broad margin. It was also worth the time on it’s own and better than some conferences that I attended in person. Don’t get me wrong because this conference is still better in person. Looking forward to going to Texas for Into The Box 2021.

Resources and Bio

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Bio

John has a passion for understanding which tradeoffs are the right choice vs following what is typical or trendy. He enjoys the benefits that come from over three decades of marriage and over four decades of technical pursuits. He has written three books for Packt, served in the Navy as a flight simulator technician. John also has a passion for the organic side of life like bread making, gardening and growing fruit.

Links

Interview transcript

Michaela Light 0:01
Hey, welcome back to the podcast. I'm here with John Farrar. And we're gonna be talking about cold fusion and open source learning, and an amazing new project he's working on that we're gonna dig into and the technologies using to create that. And also, coming up, we'll talk a bit about using open source in the corporate environment, which I know that's frightening for some people, but we're going to dig into there anyway, cuz we have to brave ColdFusion developers. So welcome, john.

John Farrar 0:30
Hello.

Michaela Light 0:32
And for those of you don't know, John, he has been doing technology for decades now, I believe. And not only that, he isn't how he copes. He even has, he's going to prove to us the decades we'll see disappear from his virtual background. Now. Here's the proof of the decades.

John Farrar 0:53
That's that was.

Michaela Light 0:56
Oh, okay. I thought you were going to get a certificate saying you've been doing ColdFusion since 1907. Yeah.

John Farrar 1:02
Well, I started in 1990s.

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Michaela Light is the host of the CF Alive Podcast and has interviewed more than 100 ColdFusion experts. In each interview, she asks "What Would It Take to make CF more alive this year?" The answers still inspire her to continue to write and interview new speakers. Michaela has been programming in ColdFusion for more than 20 years. She founded TeraTech in 1989. The company specializes in ColdFusion application development, security and optimization. She has also founded the CFUnited Conference and runs the annual State of the CF Union Survey.                  

 

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